The Equine Vet Shortage

entice future generations of vets. Many focus on sharing emergency duties with other clinics creating clear worklife boundaries that alleviate some of the 247 work mentality and networking to build a social support structure.
The AAEP is also working diligently to address the attraction and retention of equine veterinarians. A task force has been created to identify the issues in equine veterinary medicine and explore ways to solve them. It is hoped that through honest discussion real actionable processes will be determined and implemented.
The American Veterinary Medical Association AVMA is deeply vested in determining why fewer students are choosing veterinary medicine and remedying the problem. One proposed solution is the implementation of two new credentialed veterinary professional roles One that works under a veterinarian to diagnose prognose prescribe and perform surgery at a limited level and a second role related to clinic management.
The goal of these new roles would be to improve efficiency and reduce workforce stress. Thus far there has been no analysis done to determine if these professional roles are needed or how they would differ from already established roles. Despite this efforts to create an educational framework for these roles are ongoing. AVMA is researching if these additional team members are needed and whether they will positively affect the worklife balance that is currently lacking in so many aspects of veterinary medicine.
Enticing Vets
Though many equine vets eventually strike out on their own practices with open positions are offering a plethora of perks to entice vets to join their communities.
Rhonda Rathgeber Ph D. DVM has been an equine veterinarian with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington Ky. for 26 years. She was the internship coordinator for the clinic for 17 years and has seen many changes in the equine veterinary world including on the employment side.
We used to have

60plus applications for our internship program each year Rathgeber says. She notes that this number has declined significantly though COVID most likely played a role in the reduction in applications the last two years.
This startling decline in applicants is not unique to equinecentric Kentucky many clinics and practicing vets are trying all manner of incentives to attract equine vets to their area including everything from signing bonuses to the promise of practice ownership when the lead vet retires.
Hagyard offers housing and housing allowances to new vets says Rathgeber but now they are also offering more time off as well as
opportunities for vets to expand their skills.
New vets have rounds and lectures and labs to practice their diagnostic skills she explains. They have an assigned team of mentors in addition to the 40 veterinarians on staff and they rotate through each department. They palpate behind a reproductive veterinarian and learn the booking process and they get time for continuing education and a stipend for it.
Even these added enticements arent enough to fill all the equine vet vacancies in Kentuckyand the same story is repeated at clinics and practices around the United States.
As the industry works diligently to fix the decline of the equine vet workforce horse owners and caretakers have their own role to play see Why Havent You Replied? left. Understanding there may be a delay in care because of overwhelming caseloads and offering compassion are just two ways to show practicing vets that horse owners care. Being aware of time constraints and each vets right to personal time is another.
Horse owners veterinarians and equine organizations must work together to address burnout in equine veterinarians. If they dont its horses that will end up suffering.